On Leadership and Social Justice

Before my review of an outstanding book for young readers, John Lewis’s March Books One, I wanted to comment on the larger issue of leadership and social justice. Earlier this week, the world lost one of those people whose actions change the course of history and make the world a better place. Many have commented already on the life and work of Nelson Mandela, who passed away on Thursday, December 5 at the age of 95. Earlier today, I offered a musical tribute to Mandela on the “Mostly Folk” program on WRPI and let the songs and words of others express my twin feelings of sorrow at his loss and gratitude for what he contributed to the world. As South Africa’s first black president—and first president elected democratically by the entire population of the country—Mandela could have sought revenge against the people who imprisoned him for 27 years, oppressed his people, and murdered many of his colleagues and fellow anti-apartheid activists. (One of the songs I played was “Biko,” Peter Gabriel’s tribute to martyred student activist Steven Biko.) Instead, Mandela sought peace and reconciliation, paving the way through his leadership for South Africa to become a prosperous and tolerant multiracial democracy.

The struggle against apartheid in South Africa has a parallel in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. As in South Africa, the civil rights struggle has many heroes. Some, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sacrificed their lives for the cause. Others, like student activist John R. Lewis, have become important government officials and continue to work for racial, social, and economic justice. In doing so, they serve as important role models for young people who seek to create a better world.

As a college student in 1958, Lewis read a comic-book account of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the activism of Dr. King. By that point, Lewis had come to question the Jim Crow measures that limited his and others’ access to a quality education, public facilities, and employment opportunities. In fact, Lewis had met with Dr. King’s attorney to discuss a possible lawsuit to attend an all-white state university in his home state of Alabama but decided not to pursue the matter out of fear from his family’s safety. Nonetheless, the comic-book account inspired Lewis to become a lifetime activist for the cause of civil rights and social justice through nonviolence.

Today, Lewis is a member of Congress representing the Fifth District of Georgia, where he continues to advocate for economic justice and human rights. March Book One (Top Shelf Productions, 2013)is the first in a series of graphic novels based on Lewis’s life. It begins with the inauguration, on January 20, 2009, of the first black President of the United States. Before the ceremony, Lewis receives a visit from a family of constituents who have traveled from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. to view this momentous event. Lewis tells his story to the family’s son, beginning with his childhood on a farm near Troy, Alabama and ending with his leading a successful march in Nashville, Tennessee to desegregate lunch counters in 1958.

Like the comic book that he read, Lewis’s story is inspirational, showing readers that every person can make a difference. Early in life, Lewis decided that he wanted to be a minister – a delightful section of March Book One shows him preaching to the chickens on his family’s farm and experiencing emotional distress when a member of his “flock” ended up on the dinner table. When he journeyed North with an uncle, the youngster first realized that his life under Jim Crow segregation wasn’t the reality everywhere, and he didn’t have to accept things as they existed in his hometown and region. His political growth was gradual, though, and he had to be persistent and prepared to accept disappointment and failure on the road to the victories that he and his fellow activists attained.

March Book One honestly depicts the frank language and brutal realities of the time, though the black-and-white illustrations of this graphic novel are restrained enough to make it appropriate for middle grade readers. The format makes the title an excellent choice for a wide range of readers to explore the civil rights movement, nonviolent activism, and the remarkable life of a great American leader.

One Response

Hello Lyn. Thanks for this article. I heard most of your Folk Music program on Sunday evening and it conveyed the feelings that the world had for Nelson Mandela. It also expressed some of the other world struggles for liberation and freedom in South America and other parts of Africa.

This article brings up a very good point which is that as soon as one of our gifted and exceptional leaders dies, the worlds of media and politics begin to refashion our memories into some kind of idealized version, leaving out controversy and criticism of the powers that be.

Over time, if we don’t keep the memories alive, the revised vision flattens out complexity and humanity and places that person into a mold that those who want to prevent real change can use to placate us rather than move us to active striving for change.

On the other hand, John Lewis is still living and serves as a model of a person like us (although with exceptional courage and awareness) who is continuing to live his life as an example of how we can bring about increased peace and justice. We can still join him in his struggles and learn to take on active roles in our own lives and our own country.

Here’s a video poem by the poet Maya Angelou who met Nelson Mandela in the 1960’s and has been a friend and supporter ever since. Her poem helps us keep his human image alive as she also bids him farewell.

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